Chapter 7. An Opportunity to Blow One’s Nose Without Lifting a Finger
— — —
As soon as I returned to my room, Myoseonja performed a somersault and returned to its rabbit doll form.
-That man, Sim Dang-gyeong, was quite unexpected.
He was a martial artist who already possessed his own world and his own path.
-What kind of person was Sim Dang-gyeong in your past life?
"He was a man who rose to the position of Hall Master of Law Enforcement without belonging to any faction. Everyone tried to recruit him, or hated him."
-Were you close?
"We weren't personally close, but I believe we held mutual respect."
-Did he not manage to get promoted to Elder?
"……He likely retired or was purged before that could happen."
When I was released after twenty years of imprisonment, I never saw Sim Dang-gyeong’s face among the Hall Masters and Elders. Looking at the faces of those who were there, I could tell that the Ten Thousand Evil Alliance of that time had become an organization where those skilled in schemes rose to the top.
‘Such an organization inevitably declines. It becomes a rotten, crumbling old tree.’
It was to the point that not a single person dared to oppose the decision to discard the Vice Alliance Leader like a worn-out shoe. If Sim Dang-gyeong had been there, he certainly would have opposed that decision.
"Jong Wi-cheon was a man who was despicable and cruel, and who would forsake righteousness and faith to secure greater gains."
In the short term, that might have been more efficient. I won't deny that. But in the end, what became of the Ten Thousand Evil Alliance?
‘It grew weak. In every aspect.’
Did it happen simply because I was gone? Not at all.
‘Jong Wi-cheon. What exactly did you achieve after ruthlessly eliminating your brothers and rivals, wielding the blade of schemes, and selling out your faith?’
From Alliance Leader Jong Yu-gang, I learned that there is a Way even in the Evil Path, and that there is righteousness and chivalry even in the dusty world of martial arts. A person who stakes their life on the reputation of the title earned by a single blade. A person who keeps the words they speak as heavy and firm as a thousand catties of steel. I will turn the Ten Thousand Evil Alliance into a sect of such people.
"I will establish and nurture a branch in my own way. I mean to become the head of the snake, and finally, holding the wish-granting pearl, ascend to the heavens."
-Do you really think those guys will let you go?
Myoseonja expressed concern.
-Letting a new recruit who has barely passed twenty establish a single-person branch? There is no precedent for such a thing in the martial arts world.
"Who can be certain of the future?"
Since my path has already changed, the future is bound to change as well. I will not repeat the past out of fear of that.
"If I fail, I'll have to think of another way."
-You speak of having no countermeasures with such composure.
‘Man proposes, God disposes.’
At the very least, I threw out bait that the other party would find tempting.
"I told them everything kindly. If it succeeds, it’s good, and even if I die, it’s a strategy worth utilizing."
Moreover.
The person I was trying to persuade with today’s Q&A was not actually Sim Dang-gyeong or the Hall Master of Law Enforcement.
-Then who was it?
"The First Young Master, Jong Wi-cheon."
-……What is that supposed to mean?
"You remember I said that Alliance Leader Jong is currently in closed-door training, and that the First Young Master is in charge of the Alliance's affairs during that time, right?"
-I am not a fool.
"If it’s a matter of this magnitude, he will be able to make the decision according to his own will. Probably."
-Not the Law Enforcement Hall?
"Since my nonsense has been reported in the form of an official report, this is no longer a matter to be handled by the Law Enforcement Hall through standard regulations."
After all, who knows the structure of the Alliance better than I do? I was certain of it.
"And Jong Wi-cheon will think his dignity has been slighted. This point is extremely important."
Myoseonja twisted its ears as if it didn't understand.
-Hmm.
Of course, this was the natural reaction. If one didn't know Jong Wi-cheon, that is.
-So you’re saying he will approve the trip to Yeongneung?
"Myoseonja, think about it. Is there even one person in the world who believes I can conquer Yeongneung County?"
-There isn't.
"That’s why he’ll allow it. From Jong Wi-cheon’s perspective, it’s like blowing his nose without even lifting a finger."
Fundamentally, Jong Wi-cheon has a tendency to dislike getting blood on his own hands.
‘He makes his subordinates handle the work, and he himself takes no responsibility. If things go wrong, he cuts off the tail.’
And yet, am I not currently explaining that very method to him kindly?
"What happens if you wave a fish in front of a cat?"
-It would immediately swing its front paw, wouldn't it?
Myoseonja untwisted its ears and asked back.
-But as long as that guy is openly trying to be hostile to you, shouldn't you have a faction to back you up?
That point was accurate.
"Of course, I should."
-Which side are you planning to join hands with?
"The Second Young Master, Jong Wi-ryang."
— — —
* * *
— — —
Sim Dang-gyeong stared blankly at the spot where Mok Ju-gyeol had left.
"……Absurd."
The more he chewed on it, the stranger the exchange felt. He had been in the Alliance for over ten years, but this was his first time seeing such a bold and peculiar recruit.
‘I thought I had long since grown weary.’
The Ten Thousand Evil Alliance had changed a lot over the last ten years. The Alliance Leader’s intention to sift through the jade for the next generation was righteous, but unfortunately, the First Young Master and the Third Elder, who were closest to the throne, were people with hearts like snakes and scorpions.
‘Rather than those who silently hone their skills, those who are quick-witted and calculating are the ones getting promoted.’
The fear that those who chose the wrong side would be discarded by the next Alliance Leader. That fear was spreading through the Ten Thousand Evil Alliance like a plague. How many years had it been since he felt discouraged by that sight? And yet, why was a recruit who hadn't even been in the Alliance for long…….
‘That he would show that there is a fragrance even to the Evil Path?’
Was he saying the exact same thing the Alliance Leader had told him once before?
"Sim, I heard the report about you."
"It, it is an honor."
"It was truly excellent. Continue to uphold the laws of the Alliance firmly as you do now. By doing so, show that this Alliance has the majesty of discipline, and that there is a fragrance even in the Evil Path of the martial arts world."
Those words had remained in his heart for a long time. The thrill and gratitude that the Alliance Leader had taken an interest in someone like him, and the encouragement that his direction was correct. Wasn't that the reason he had sworn to bury his bones in the Alliance?
‘That you, who have barely reached twenty, could fathom the Alliance Leader’s will and ideals.’
Sim Dang-gyeong realized for the first time that he was a human who could be moved by irrational sentiment alone.
‘……I should exert some influence.’
The assault on Dam Yun-sang was self-defense.
However, Mok Ju-gyeol requested to go to Yeongneung as the price for his crime.
It was a form of exile, a form of punishment, but it was a suggestion to establish a branch in Yeongneung.
He hoped for a single-person branch, and if he himself failed, he suggested using that as a pretext to strike the Sungwol Sect and the Black Wind Chamber.
"Haha."
Now that he had organized it, it was a strategy that could not be considered sane. He himself was at a loss as to how to explain this crazy Q&A to his superiors. However—
‘Mok Ju-gyeol, you owe me a debt.’
He was willing to become Mok Ju-gyeol’s fortuitous encounter. The report he had refined and polished would soon be delivered to his superiors.
— — —
* * *
— — —
A day passed. I was under house arrest, excluded even from training.
There was no time to be bored. I was repeating the Small Heavenly Circuit while training the Eighteen Swords of Ten Thousand Calamities and the Primordial Heaven-Shaking Art respectively.
And so, as the day’s work ended and the sun set.
"You crazy bastard, it’s been chaos everywhere because of you."
"What chaos? It was just a scuffle between low-level members."
"Kid, that’s not the problem."
Ma Cheon-bo, whose body was still full of the aftermath of training, came to find me holding a rice ball.
"Did you win today? You brought a special meal."
"It’s thanks to you."
It seemed he had gained something while reviewing the fight with me.
"Senior Dam, his teeth are gone, so he has to chew on porridge for a while. I heard he was throwing a tantrum, saying he would kill you right away."
"Then shouldn't you be careful too? You’ll be dragged into it as an accomplice."
"That’s why I came quietly."
-He’s a guy with loyalty. Bringing food because he’s worried about his peer.
‘He’s a guy who’s nothing without loyalty.’
Besides, he probably wanted to repay the lesson he received.
"But is that true?"
"What is?"
Ma Cheon-bo lowered his voice and asked.
"That you asked to be sent to Yeongneung County?"
If that story had reached Ma Cheon-bo’s ears, it meant that, in effect, there was no one in the Alliance who didn't know.
"Senior Sim has a loose tongue, too. When did the rumor spread that far?"
"Don't change the subject. It’s a false rumor, right? There’s no way a guy with a sane mind would say something like that."
"It’s true."
"……!"
I handed a note to the astonished Ma Cheon-bo.
"More than that, I have one favor to ask."
"What favor?"
"Deliver this note to the Second Young Master’s side, no matter what."
Ma Cheon-bo scoffed.
"Who do you think you are? Why would he read a note sent by a low-level member like you?"
"He will likely accept it."
A bold recruit who took a shot at his brother is offering to defect to him personally. It would be stranger if he weren't intrigued.
"I came to bring you food out of pity, and you’re trying to order me around as if it’s only natural."
"You must owe me a debt, right?"
"……!"
The eyes of Ma Cheon-bo, who had been grumbling, wavered.
"One rice ball won't be enough, will it?"
"That’s preposterous. You’re a guy with no business ethics. The principles of the martial arts world have fallen to the ground."
"Damn it."
"You’re the only one I can ask. I might have to leave for Yeongneung as early as tomorrow, and it’ll be too late by then."
"What if you don't go?"
"I might go."
"……This is driving me crazy."
Ma Cheon-bo, who snatched the note and put it in his pocket, jumped up from his seat.
"I don't know what the reason is, but I can't stay with you because my flesh is trembling. Whether he tears that note to shreds or not is none of my business."
"Thank you, Ma Cheon-bo."
I said, looking at his broad back.
"If you can, it would be better to stand on the Second Young Master’s side. I don't want to be on a different boat than you."
"……!"
Ma Cheon-bo replied without looking back.
"What do you mean by standing on a side? You’re just a fledgling who just joined the Alliance."
Ma Cheon-bo wasn't in a position to receive active recruitment offers either. However.
"Those who are meant to rise will rise eventually. That’s why it’s important which peak you choose to climb at the beginning."
Ma Cheon-bo quietly left the room.
"But why the Second Young Master, of all people?"
'If I had sided with the Second Young Master from the very beginning, the position of the Third Ten Thousand Evil Alliance Leader would have been his.'
"Oh, please. I’m sure it would have."
— — —
* * *
— — —
The incident caused by Mok Ju-gyeol and the report submitted by Sim Dang-gyeong of the Law Enforcement Hall were enough to turn the First Young Master’s faction upside down.
"Did I hear that correctly?"
"The man is insane."
"A reckless fool, daring to disregard the discipline of this Alliance..."
The subordinate who had delivered the report instinctively hunched his shoulders.
"And what did the Alliance member Sim and Instructor Seok say?"
The heavy voice of the Hall Master of the Gold Treasury caused the room to fall silent. It was imbued with such profound internal energy that a weak-willed person might have wet themselves just from hearing it.
"They say he seems like a completely different person overnight. His martial prowess has improved, but he is also engaging in behavior that he would never have considered before—"
"And what is this behavior?"
"Well. That is..."
After hearing the full account, the Hall Master of the Gold Treasury leaned back into his armrest and sneered.
"Absurd. Is he being serious?"
Sensing the opportunity, the sycophants around him slammed their tables in indignation.
"To dare to tarnish the First Young Master’s reputation!"
"He asked to be made a branch leader as his punishment? Has the man completely lost his mind?"
"We offered him a chance because his skills were decent, and he dares to pull a stunt like this?"
Not to be outdone, the Hall Master of the Gold Treasury revealed his own contempt.
"A mere wandering martial artist of unknown origin, daring to..."
"……!"
At this point, the executives quietly shut their mouths. There were plenty of people here whose origins were just as obscure.
"Whether he did it knowingly or not, it changes nothing."
He was the right-hand man of Jong Wi-cheon. His words were treated as the will of the First Young Master himself.
"How about we do this?"
"We are listening, Hall Master."
"For now, we give him exactly what he wants. If he wants to go to Yeongneung, we should send him."
"……!"
Those gathered in the room waited for what would follow, their faces tense, wondering what other vicious words would spill from this man's lips.
"But he must pay the price for rejecting the First Young Master’s offer and, worse, insulting him."
A cold, murderous intent permeated his voice.
"Shall we kill him?"
"How could we kill an Alliance member so casually? Instead, it would be better to have him 'fall victim to an unexpected ambush,' sever his tendons, and shatter his dantian to make him a cripple."
"Ah!"
"Mok Ju-gyeol will return, unable to even step foot in Yeongneung, and be forced to bow his head before us."
"Heh heh heh! Truly a brilliant plan."
"We can contact the Secret Pavilion to select the personnel."
The Secret Pavilion.
It was the division of assassins responsible for the Alliance’s dark affairs. And within it, there was a unit raised solely for the two Young Masters.
"Understood."
At this point, the Hall Master of the Gold Treasury turned toward Jong Wi-cheon, who sat behind a curtain. Even for the First Young Master, his attitude was excessively deferential for someone speaking to a much younger man.
"Do as you will."
The voice drifted from behind the curtain. Everyone was so rigid, as if they needed permission just to breathe, that the First Young Master’s relaxed tone stood out all the more.
"Understood."
Only then did the sycophants breathe a sigh of relief.
"My father is in closed-door training, so I will handle this myself without bothering to report it."
It was exactly as Mok Ju-gyeol had anticipated.
"Please leave it to your subordinates."
"Mok Ju-gyeol will crawl back like a dog and grovel at the First Young Master’s feet."
"We will handle any procedural disputes on our end."
Jong Wi-cheon’s response to the executives was brief.
"I shall watch."
It was a trap, subtle and inescapable.
...Or so it seemed.
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